, 1887-06-12
rnE eloopaouNp MYTH.
hey We're Never Used by Slave Holders
for Tracking Negroes.

They We're Never Used by Slave Holders
for Tracking Negroes.
-'.It is strange how long the world will
stick TO IN error, especially if it be either
romantic or sympathetic in its tendency.
l reckon everybody who has read Uncle
Toms Cabin remembers especially if
they were young at the time) how APP
palling to the imagination were the blood
hounds employed to track the poor run
Always. This bloodhound myth has lived
uncontradicted until now. Only the
other day l read a terrible story Of a fugi-
tive in the Dismal Swamp country Of Vir-
Einia, who ran away (of course before
the war; and was hunted with blood
hounds, etc.
Tho Truth of the matter was that
bloodhounds were never used in the
south for pursuing runaway negroes, or
for any other purpose. / have no idea
that there has been a real bloodhound in
the state of Virginia for fifty years. A
cross of the common foxhound and ST.
berian dog has long been popularity
known and COMPOUNDED with the true
Spanish bloodhound, and these brutes
ave been exhibited at dog shows as tho
old time slave tracking bloodhounds, to
the great terror and awe of the guileless
spectator.
The dogs used in tracking negroes
whenever Gny were used-were the ordi-
nary hounds Of the south, such as were
trained for deer driving, bear hunting or
wild hog shooting. II well trained, they
will track anything that goes on legs,
and will hunt up q white man or negro
as readily % they will pursue the ma
rauding coon, or his great brother, tho
black bear. still found in the mountains
of the Carolinas, Virginia or Tennessee,
common In the swamps and canebrakes
of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texns, and
abundant in the immense brakes on up
per Red river, and those that occupy
most of the region between the White
and st. Francis rivers, In Arkansas, par
ticularly in the section known ~ The
Devils Summer Retreat about fifty
miles from the mouth of the White, i'm
mortalizca in Porter's famous story Of
bob Herring, the Bear Hunter, printed
in the old Spirit nearly fifty years ago.
1.-The only bloodhounds that ever came
into Louisiana or Mississippi were i'm
ported from Cuba in 1S45 by a wealthy
gentleman who owned large estates in the
parish of Tensas, Louisiana, and in Clai-
bourne county, Mississippi, who, by the
way, was a friend, pupil and distant rela-
tive of the eminent Republican statesman
from Maine. There were three couples
Of these dogs. and it was thought they
might increase the keenness of scent Of
the hound of the period by crossing the
breed. The experiment. however, worked
disastrously. After acquiring a pack in
two or three years time, Mr.. Gillespie
took them out for trial. They had not
far to go before thay struck the fresh
trail of an old he bear of aldermanic pro-
portions, who was making his usual
morning trip to the plantation cornfield,
where he had fed ever since he was a cub.
No corpulent old gentleman, peacefully
going from his house to his club, could
have been more astonished at an assault
from tramps thar was the old bear I
speak of. Finally, realizing the situation,
he packed up against q cypress, and killed
five of the dogs In less time than a wiry
terrier would kill the same number Of
rats. The owner of the dogs had not ex-
pected to put up q bear SO near, and was
without a gun The improved dogs, in
stead Of swapping at the bear and letting
90 when he turned on them, as well
trained bear dogs do, just caught hold
and held on, with the consequences men
toned. 1t ended the importation Of
bloodhounds, and the deer and bear hunt
ers of Louisiana and Mississippi concluded
they would let their breed of dogs be as
they were, and not introduce any more
foreign innovations. Washington Cor.
Courier-Journal.